Disappearing safety traffic button



9 L. A. SPRINGER 1,777,585

DISAPPEARING SAFETY TRAFFIC BUTTON Filed June 1928 Patented a. 7,1930

,7 Application filed June 6, 1928. Serial No. 2 83g412.

My invention pertains to disappearing safety traflic button.

Considerabl'e objections are had tomthe traffic buttons used by variousmunicipalis ties in their roadways as anindicationor direction for themovement of vehicle traflic. These permanently raised buttons above theroadlevel have been the cause of many se-. riousaccidents due to thevehicles striking o the buttons and being thrown off their course.

In additiontoz this there have been'many complaints and a great dealofdamage done to pneumatic tires due to the vehicles striking thesolidbutton extending above the roadway and causing tire bruises.

An object of my invention is the construc-- tion of a disappearing and asafety traflicbutton which will have all the efiectiveness ofa.

button raised above the road level to indicate the line of travel andturning of vehicles and yet when struck a vehicle will disappear thatis, be pressed downwardly below the road level allowing the vehicle topass without throwing it off its course and without injury to the tires.I

A more detailed object of my invention is the construction of a trafficbutton whichis resiliently. supported so that in. a normal positionitprojects above the road level and mounted so that when a vehicle wheelstrikes thebutton -the button will be depressed and give'a support forthe vehicle in rolling over the button without a suflicienti jolt toaflect the "steering of the vehicle for to injurethe as tiresr" A stillfurther object of my invention is a construction by which thebuttonmaybe adjustedto. project different distances. above the road level andto provide a mounting so tl1at'when fully pressed down the button willhave a rigid support allowing it-to carry a heavy vehicle without injury. v

e In constructing my invention I utilize an outer casing orhousingformed with side walls and a base and open at the top, this beingadaptedtobe positioned inaroadway in" a hole made therein and firmlysecuredin position. A domeshap'ed button'is fitted in; the housingso asto telescope therein and is. 0- pported by a pr norma l -m int in thebutton elevated. The" button is maintained at the desired elevationthrough the medium of astud ,securedtothe base andhaving adjusting nuts,which engage in a socket in the button, thus allowing the but ton toproject. different distances abovethe roadway. I also provideslotsleading from the socket into the hollowhousing to'allow i free 'flowofair in the .up and down movement of the button and f or thefreepassageof water when the ho using becomes filled with water during the rainstorms.

My invention is. illustrated in the 'accompanyingdrawings, inwhich: p r

Fig. 1 "s a planview of the: button and housing taken .in the directionof the arrow.- 1 0fFig.2, s I

Fig. 2 is. a cross section on themes-20f Fig. l in. the directionof thearrows, with. the button elevated,

housing on the line 33 of Fig. 2in thedirection of the arrows,

Fig. 4 is a section similar to showing the button depressed by avehiclwh passingthereover,

Fig. 5 is ahorizontalsection on the line 55 of Fig. 4 in the directionof the arrows.

. In the construction illustrated the housing is designated generally bythe. numeral 11 preferably having a fiat base 12 and cylin drica-lsidewalls 13, the sidewalls having a; slight rimild adjacent the top.'The hous ng is buried in the roadway designated '15 with f the'uppersurface 16in alignment with the roadsurface l7. Internally thebutton has an upper bore 18 preferably cylindrical and a larger here orcored outsection-1 9 adjacent the bottom, with aseries of bosses 2Ospaced peripherally on the base.

The button designated generally bythe numeral 21 has a 'head' portion 22preferably domed and with side walls 23 having an outercylindricalsurface. A socket 24 is formed in the button, this being openat the top and having a perforation- 25 at the bottom.

There is an annular cored out portion 26 be tween thesidje walls and thehub structure 27;

formingthe socket. e The bottom edge 28 of he sid Walls xtends d nW dlybW t e i a t 79 Fig. .3 isfa horizontal section throughthe bottom of thebase 29 of the socket. There are a pair of slots 80 extending throughthe hub structure forming the socket intothe an Y nular cored outportion 26.

A stud 31 has its head 32 fitted in a recess 33 in the-base, the studextending through an aperture 34in a boss 85 extending upwardly from thebase. The upper end of thestudis screw threaded as indicated at 36 andhas a nut and a lock nut 37 threaded thereon.

The stud extends through the perforation in the base of the socket, thishaving. loose fit, and the nut is adapted to engagethe upper surface ofthe base portion. 29.01 the hub structure forming a socket.

Ac'oil spring 38' fits onthe base 1 2 and engages the under surface3910f the-head portion 22 ofthe button, thisspring extending up into thecored outportion 26. i The spring is maintained centered by a series of'lugs 40" on the base 12.

The manner of operation and functioning of my invention is as follows:It will be apparent that thespring normally tends to elevate the-buttonstructure and thrust it upwardly in the housingy The upward" movement,however,' is limited and adjust-' able through the medium of the stud 31and the adjustable nut "and lock nut thereon."

The top of the stud is positioned below the road surface. Thereby, bythis construction,

- and using a suitable socket wrench, the posiextent. v I U r If avehicle wheelstrikesthe button as in tion of the button relativeto theroad surface. may be'readily adjusted so that this may be only slightlyabove the road surface ifdesired or may be elevatedtoi a considerable(heated in Fig. 4 it isldepressed, compressing the spring 38 so that thelower edge 28' of' the side walls 23 of the button' strike the top ofthe bosses 20, thus giving, the button a. rigid support when fullydepressed. Thereis sufiicient space between the side wall of the buttonand the upper bor'e18 of the hous ing tofallow free flow of airninjtheup. and

down mo vementjof the button, and also air inay'ipassthrough theperforation 25 in the. base of the socket. 50

To accommodate the flow ofwater, however, when the housing becomesfilled with water during rain storms, I provide theslots 30communicating between the, socket 24 andthe' cored out portion-26 H ofthe button, thus allowing free inand out flow of the water trapped, inthe button.

line of traific movement and of traflic turns for vehicles and, yet,when the button is struck or run over by a vehicle wheel it isdepressed-below the road surface so that the this latter cleaned out. Ifthe housing is not badly filled. with dirt this may be cleaned out bythe use of a hose injecting the water in theopen .socket 2e. and workingthe button v up and down allows the water to fiow through the lateralslots 30'and flush out the housing.

An important feature of my invention is that the telescoping button 21maybe inserted from the top of the roadway into, the upper bore 18 ofthe housing 15 and that after insertionof the button it may be securedin place by threading the nuts 37 on the stud 31. Therefore toinstal'land to remove the button it is not necessary to dig the housing out ofthe roadway. K

The button and the upper bore 18 be given a surlici'ent sliding fit sothat but little dirtwill enter between the button and this surface. Thefree passage of airon the telescoping of the button, is however,accommodated by the slots 30in the socket portion 24 of the button.These slots also allow the free discharge of water which may enter thehousing in a rain storm or in flushing the roads andthat the movingtrafiic moving 2.1

over the button automatically keeps vthe housing clean.

Various changes'may be made in the principles of my invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof,.as set forth in the description,drawings and claims.

I claim: j

1 1. In combination an open-toppedhousing adapted to be installed ina'roadway, a traffic' button slidably mounted therein, a compressionspring supp'orting the button, and a stud connected to the housing andto the buttori to adjust the height of the button.

"2. In combination an open-topped housing adapted to be .installedin aroadway, a hut fic button slidably mounted therein,.a spring bearing onthebase of the housing and. sup. porting the button, a stud secured tothe housing and'having an adjustable connection with the button to varythe height of the but ton above the roadway, and interengag'ing meansbetween the button and the housing to take thepressu're of the buttonwhen depressed by avehicle.

3.111 combination an open-topped housing adapted to be installed in aroadway, a trafiic button slidably mounted therein, means to resilientlysupport the button in an upper position,the button having a' socket, anda stud secured to the base of the housing and extending into said socketwith an ad- I .justable connection therein.

1 having a basewith a stud extending upward ly therefrom, a trafiicbutton having a domeshape-d top and side walls, the side walls beingslidably mounted in the upper part of the housing, there being a centralsocket, the stud extending into the said socket and having adjustingnuts thereon to engage the base of the socket, and a compression springbe tween the button and the base of the housing.

6. In combination an open-topped housing I asiclaimed in claim 5, thebase having a supporting structure adapted to contact with the loweredge of the side walls of'thebutton to rigidly support the button whendepressed by a vehicle. r r

7. In combination an open-topped housing as claimed in claim 5,thebuttonhaving an annular cored-out portion with a spring fittedtherein, and passages between thesocket and the cored-out portion- I 8.A traflic button having an open-topped housing adapted to be installedin a roadway and having a series of bosses adjacent the bottom, a studsecured to the base and eX- tending upwardly and having adjusting nutson the top, a traffic button having a domeshapecl top, side walls toconform to the upper inside surface of the housing and having a slidingfit, the button having a socket in the center from'thetop and an annularcored-out portion extending upwardly from the bottom, there being anopening into the socket for the said stud, and a spring bearing on thebase of the housing and engaging the button, the said bosses forming asupporting structure engaging the lower edge of the side wall of thebutton when depressed by a vehicle. V

9. A traflic button as claimed inxclaim 8,

i there being passages from the interior of the (ill housing to theouter portion of the button to allow free flow of air and watercontained in the housing. p

10. In a device as described, an open top housing adaptedto be installedin a roadway, a traflic button slidably mounted therein, a resilientsupport for the button, and means operable from the surface of theroadway without removing the housing, to secure the button in thehousing.

11. In a device as described, an open top housing adapted to beinstalled in a roadway,

a traflicbutton slidably mounted therein, a;

resilient support for the button and means operable from the surface ofthe roadway without removing the housing and intercone necting thehousing and the button to retain the button in the housing upward liftof the button.

12.. In a device as described, the combination of an open tophousingadaptedto be and to adjust the installed in a roadway, a traffic buttonslide ably mounted therein and having a resilient support, means toretain the button in the housing and said button having passages toallow free flow of air and water from and Y support, meansinterconnecting the button and the housing to retain the button in thehousing, said means being engageable to the button from the surfaceofthe roadway without removing the housing, and means operable throughthe body structure of the buttonto allow free flow of air and water fromand to the interior of the housingon the depression and elevation of thebutton.

14. In combination an open top housing adapted to be installed in aroadway, a traffie button 'slidably mounted therein, said button havinga passage to allow free flow of air and water to and from the interiorof the housing on elevation and depression of the button.

15. In combination an open top housing adapted to be installed in aroadway, a traffic button slidably mounted therein and having a.resilient support, means to adjust the height of the button above thelevel of the roadway, said button having a passage to allow free flow ofair and water from and to the-interior of the housing on the depressionand elevation of the button.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

, L, A. SPRINGER.

